Lucky
by cassidy6
Summary: A sort of fast paced story about the L4D2 characters' various campaigns, they are joined by my OC Sophie  Sophitia  and my friend's OC Danny  Daniella . Drama happens.  Reference near the end /watch?v SZzCYMtSqHg


"Can you believe this? There are no other employees here! How lazy can you get?" Sophitia moved her orange hair from her face and wrapped her gray jacket across her brown tank top.  
>"Maybe they got sick or something, I heard there was a bad virus going around.." Daniella, Sophie's co-worker and long time friend said as she fiddled with a non sharpened pencil, clearly bored.<br>"I mean, our boss hasn't faxed us any work in a few days, just where is everybody?"  
>"Maybe he sent all our work to our old office on accident, we were recently promoted after all.."<br>"I don't think he'd forget a promotion he just gave us."  
>"You should be grateful, those office guys also seemed to have left you alone, maybe their sick, too. Hey I ever tell you about the time my uncle Bucky-"<br>"Danny, not now.."  
>"Fine." She walked over to the covered window and pulled back the drapes.<br>Sophie sighed, "Yeah, I'm starting to think there's no more good guys in the world.."  
>"Um, Sophie? Could you come here a second?"<br>"Sure, what's up?" Her eyes widened when she saw the people outside. They seemed slower, their skin had a greyish tint to it, and a few were vomiting. "Wow, Danny, you were right. Everyone is sick.."  
>She threw her long brown hair over her shoulder, "Is it me, or do they look like those zombie things I've seen on my neighbor's television set?"<br>"They kind of do..You don't think-" She stopped when she heard voices outside.  
>"Come on, let's cut through this building. Honestly, I can't believe you let that Hunter sneak up on you like that.."<br>A southern voice replied, "Hey, I was watching your ass, man!"  
>"Whatever, you were probably looking for adrenaline, you junky. The others are probably already on the other side of this building, so let's hurry it up!"<br>Sophie went over to the storage closet and grabbed an axe and baseball bat, handing the latter to Danny.  
>"If those things come in here, I don't want to get to bitten."<br>The voices returned, "Let's check these offices for supplies."  
>"They sure don't sound like no zombies, Soph."<br>"Well, I just want to be sure.."  
>After a few minutes, the door swung open, and two men cautiously stepped inside. Danny waved, "Well, hello!"<br>The boy with the trucker hat and greasy yellow shirt smiled at the girls, "Howdy. Look, more survivors!"  
>The other man dusted off his dirty white suit, though it did little good, and spat on the floor, "Great, less supplies for us."<br>Sophie lowered her axe, "Excuse me but, what exactly happened to those people? Was the virus really that bad?"  
>"You're clueless, girl. Basically the zombie apocalypse happened, however some people were immune to the virus, but CEDA has already evacuated them. We just barely missed them ourselves."<br>Danny set her bat on the desk behind her, "Well, it's a good thing you did, or we wouldn't know what's going on, and we'd be stuck here.."  
>The man in the suit just sneered at her, "That's a selfish thought, kid. You won't survive long with an attitude like that, of course I don't care either way.."<br>Sophie cleared her throat, "Well, my name's Sophitia, you can just call me Sophie. It's nice to see someone else."  
>The greasy boy shook both of their hands, "The name's Ellis. I was a mechanic before this happened, nice to meet ya."<br>"Heh, my name's Daniella, I worked here with Sophie."  
>Sophie turned to the other man, "So, what's your-"<br>"Let's move on, the others are probably wondering where we are."  
>As Danny retrieved her bat, Sophie gripped her axe and walked up to Ellis. "Hey, who is that? He doesn't look too happy about finding us.."<br>"Nah, that's Nick, we've been traveling together for about a day, he's a bit sarcastic, but deep down I'm sure he's glad we found you before 'they' did."  
>She stopped, "How can you be sure? Maybe we should just-"<br>"Hey, Orangey! You gonna talk or you gonna walk!"  
>She eyed him, "I just told you my name! But, yeah, I guess I'm coming.."<br>Ellis patted her on the back, "See? He's warming up to you already! Maybe not as much as _you_ have, but-"  
>She turned pink, "Excuse me? I just met him, and he doesn't seem like a guy I'd date, we have nothing in common! Besides, he doesn't look interested in me either!"<br>"Okay! But just so you know, that would count as something you'd have in common. So you just contradicted yourself.."  
>Danny caught up to them, "Hey, don't leave me, now!"<br>"Now, why would I do that? I love your accent, by the way. Is it Texan?"  
>"Why, it sure is. Amarillo, actually. How about yours? It sounds like you're from here."<br>"Yes, ma'am, Savannah local." He tipped his hat generously, she laughed.  
>"You're just plain adorable, hon!"<br>"Well, thank you."  
>Sophie walked past them as they maneuvered the building, she suddenly realized Nick was gone. Her heart raced, she began to panic a little. "Hey, has anybody seen Nick? He was in front of us earlier.."<br>They suddenly heard violent coughing.  
>"What's that noise?"<br>Ellis readied his shotgun, "Sounds like a Smoker, Watch yourselves."  
>Sophie was still walking, "A Smoker? What is that-"<br>The infected made itself known by sliding in front of her while making an alarmed, raspy hacking sound. She gasped loudly, and swung her axe in front of her horizontally, decapitating the creature. Ellis gave an admirable whistle, "Whoa, nice reflexes, Sophie!"  
>They heard footsteps behind them, Nick had just turned the corner, and he was carrying two handguns.<br>"What happened?"  
>"Sophie totally just meleed a Smoker! Reminded me of the time my buddy Keith-"<br>Nick handed Danny a gun, "Ellis? Is now the best time?"  
>Both girls suddenly blushed, they've heard themselves use similar words just today.<br>'Maybe Ellis is right..'  
>Nick walked over to Sophie, and held out the other gun. She reached for it, and their hands brushed each other, they both visibly jumped as they felt a surge pass through them. She blushed, he shook it off. "Thank you for risking your safety by going alone to get us weapons, Nick."<br>He blinked, and held back a smile. "So, Ellis told you my name already, huh? Anyway, I wouldn't recommend trying it. I've dealt with these things longer than you and have a better idea of how they work, plus I'm better armed."  
>She stood closer to him, "Alright. I'll be right behind you.."<br>"At least you listen."

After they made their way out of the building, they were greeted by two other impatient looking survivors.  
>"It's about time you two showed up! I- oh, who are these young ladies?"<br>Ellis answered, "That there's Sophie, and this is Daniella.."  
>The man chuckled, "You seem rather happy about the latter, young'un. Anyway, you can call me Coach, and this is Rochelle."<br>The girl waved, "I'm relieved to see more women around, I as well as those two needed some female company. So Nick, are you crushing on Sophie?"  
>He just scoffed, "I'm not that desperate, anyways we're wasting time!" He rushed in front of the group, Sophie looked at the ground, and sighed. Rochelle walked up to her, "Hey, don't worry, he'll realize it eventually. You like him, don't you?"<br>"What! No, I-"  
>"Sweetie, it's obvious, now I don't know what you see in him, but I'll help you the best I can."<br>"Nah, you heard him. I'm not his type."  
>They began walking to keep up with the team, "Look, Nick's a very complicated guy. He told us very little about his past, but it was enough for us to understand his trust won't come easily."<br>"Oh..Well I come from an office setting, and every guy I met was always harassing me, I was beginning to think all the good men were gone, but I think Nick's one of the good ones. He just has trust issues, as do I with men."  
>"Well, maybe you can help each other. You have anything else in common?"<br>"I noticed he was a leader, and he has a good friend that he has to constantly keep on track by interrupting their stories."  
>Rochelle laughed, "That's really good considering you just met. I only recently confessed my feelings to someone, and he returned them, we're just keeping it low, unlike your friend."<br>Sophie looked where she was pointing and saw Danny and Ellis holding hands and talking, the biggest smile she's ever seen present on her friend's face.  
>"Well, good for them! So I'm assuming you and Coach are an item?"<br>"You'd be right. It wasn't easy though, he kept going on about 'age difference'. I assured him that was pretty much the only difference, and that we could make it work."  
>She smiled at her new friend, "That's awesome, Rochelle, I'm happy for you!"<br>"Thanks, I have a feeling your time will come soon Sophie, just stay beside him and let him know you won't leave."  
>"Okay, I will, thank you so much!" She rushed ahead as Danny called to her.<br>"Soph! Lookie, lookie!" She raised the hand Ellis was holding.  
>"I know, I saw-" She smacked right into Nick's back,which had a crowbar latched onto it, he turned around.<br>"Watch it, I almost mistook you for one of them!"  
>"I'm so sorry, I-"<br>"Hey, lay off her, dude! It was my fault! Take it out on me since you already hate me, all she was trying to do was-"  
>"Knock me on my ass, apparently!"<br>Sophie sighed, "I already apologized, let's just go. I'll stay further away from you, I promise.."  
>He turned from her, "Are you alright? You hit kind of hard.."<br>She smiled, "I might have a light bruise on my chest, but I'm alright. Thanks." She reached for his hand as he sped up, "There's a safehouse ahead! Let's get inside!"  
>"Damn, so close.."<br>Rochelle caught up with her, "Nice little bit with Danny, it was actually believable!"  
>"Well, I hope it was, because it was completely unintentional!"<br>She seemed surprised, "Really? Well anyways, safehouses are places we stay for the night to recover, and they usually have supplies inside. Maybe when he feels safe, he'll open up more."  
>Their good mood was short lived, for they heard Nick shout the most horrifying thing he could possibly say, "TAANK!"<br>The group was alerted immediately. Sophie and Danny were confused for a moment, until they saw the beast, it struck fear in their hearts. They started shooting it as the others did, Sophie's eyes searched the area, 'This isn't going to work..' She spotted a Molotov near the Tank, she dashed for it.  
>"Sophie, what in the hell are you doing!" Nick sounded angry, confused, however fear was the most noticeable. She ran right past it, avoiding a heavy punch, and grabbed the Molotov. The group was still shooting at it, and the Tank made a beeline for Nick, who had inflicted the most damage on it so far. Sophie didn't hesitate, she grabbed the lighter she keeps in her pocket and lit then threw the Molotov, it hit the creature's head, engulfing it in flames. It began to run back towards her, however the creature fell dead before it reached her.<br>"Okay, everyone in the safe..room?"  
>Nick was speeding toward her, he grabbed her shoulders tightly, "What the fuck was that! You could have gotten yourself killed!"<br>"I saw it run toward you and-"  
>"So what! I could have handled it! I already told you I'm more experienced!" He cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "Look, I understand what you were trying to do and I appreciate it, but you don't have a medkit or any supplies, so be careful! Tanks are dangerous, Soph. Everyone inside NOW!" He released his grip on her, and sighed.<br>"Again, I'm sorry, I was just-"  
>"I know. You just took a huge risk is all, we can't afford to lose anyone, especially you."<br>She blushed, "Really?"  
>"Well, yeah, I mean, the way you handled that Tank, you're a leader type like me. I don't have to do as much work keeping the others in line with you around."<br>Her heart sank, "Oh, so that's the reason.."  
>"Yup. What, did you expect my complete acceptance and trust just because you're another survivor?"<br>She started walking, "I guess putting my life on the line for the team isn't a very 'trustworthy' act."  
>He appeared surprised, "What do you mean by that?" He ran into the saferoom after her, and Rochelle barred the door. "Whew, Sophie! Where did you get the courage to do that?" Ellis asked, putting his arm around Danny.<br>"Well to be honest, I didn't expect to survive. I knew it would be angry and come after me, but if I could distract it long enough for you guys to escape, it would've been worth it."  
>Nick looked at her, "Wait. You planned to kill yourself over a Tank!"<br>"Well, yes, if it meant you all were safe.."  
>"We fight those things all the time! Their not a big deal, they just need teamwork to take down! Their NOT worth dying over!"<br>Rochelle sat beside Coach, "Come on, she didn't know! She was JUST trying to help! Honestly, you get mad at every little thing she does, you expect her to be perfect! It's her first day, and if you recall we weren't exactly experts at first.."  
>Nick exhaled slowly, "You're right. I'm sorry Sophie."<br>"Oh, it's okay. I'm sure this apocalypse is hard on everyone.." She looked through the saferoom door window, "Well, it's getting dark, I'll keep watch tonight. You guys rest-"  
>"No."<br>"Nick, I can handle it, I can stay up for days at a time!"  
>"You don't have to prove anything to us, Sophitia, we're just normal people like you. I'll stay up, too."<br>She smiled at him, "I'd like that.." Her glance returned to the outside, "Oh, hey! Theirs a mall just outside!"  
>"Good, gives us something to look at all night."<br>They both laughed at the sarcasm, and sighed.  
>Rochelle silently laughed as Coach embraced her, "I'm glad things are going her way.."<br>"Now, that doesn't mean their going to get together, Ro."  
>She gently pulled away, "Or maybe their keeping it a secret because 'survival's more important', right?"<br>"Rochelle, you know we can't afford distractions out there."  
>"Fair enough, but you could at least act like you care about me, I mean, even in the safe places you act like we're just friends, like we're nothing but-"<br>He suddenly shouted, "Hey guys! Look here real quick!"  
>When he had everybody's attention, he pulled Rochelle into a passionate kiss, much to the surprise of Nick and Ellis. "Wow, you two, I never would've guessed.."<br>She cleared her throat, and tried to hide her blush, "Was that proof enough that I care?"  
>She latched onto his arm, "Yes it was, thank you."<p>

The team then began to get ready for bed, each thanking Nick and Sophie for keeping watch.  
>"No problem, It's the least I could do for all of you!"<br>They sat in silence for awhile, until Nick gave in, "Sophie? I'm sorry for being such a dick, it's just not like me to have to depend on other people, and from the way I lived before, well, I guess I just don't have manners anymore.."  
>"Don't worry about it, Nick, you were probably on edge, and the last thing you needed was two more strangers slowing the team down."<br>"You do not slow us down, in fact, like I said earlier, having two leaders is way better than one."  
>Her heart stung at the memory, "Yeah, I remember that.."<br>Silence, then he said, "Okay, there was another reason. I didn't want to lose you because, well never mind."  
>She stood up, and walked over to packets of instant coffee lying on a counter, pouring two into Styrofoam cups, adding bottled water, and placing them in the microwave, "No, go on, I want to know."<br>"I don't want to risk it, Soph. It's probably nothing anyway."  
>She removed the steaming drinks before the timer went off so as not to disturb her sleeping friends, and sat a cup beside him. "By the way, when you handed me the gun earlier today, did you feel anything like a burst of electricity?"<br>"So that wasn't just me? I thought that was weird.."  
>"Please tell me what you were going to say, Nick. I want to know!"<br>He sighed, "Well, the truth is, I also keep lecturing you to be more careful because I worry about you more than anybody out there. I only just met you today and I already feel so protective of you. I think I might- forget it, I said too much already.."  
>Sophie looked him in the eyes, "You think you might have feelings too strong for a first day's meeting? The fact that we have as much in common as we do is not just coincidence, that maybe someone wanted us to find each other?"<br>"Something like that, yeah. How did you know that?"  
>She moved closer to him, "Because I feel the same way.." She reached out and grabbed his hand, he smiled, "I was really worried when that Tank charged at you..My heart only beat that fast one other time today.."<br>She leaned against his chest, "And when was that?"  
>"When I saw you for the first time."<br>Sophie blushed, "You're such a sweetheart, Nick."  
>They sat in front of the door with their coffee. "Yeah, well I wasn't always. My life changed a few weeks ago when this whole mess happened. I never depended on anybody, I lived the way I wanted to, and I never cared about the consequences, and now, I figured since I changed this much, why not go all out and give this beautiful woman whom I don't deserve a chance, since she's been trying from the beginning."<br>She gasped, "So you could tell, huh?"  
>"You made it so obvious, even Ellis knew! But that was probably intentional."<br>"I'm really glad I met you, Nick, and I'm even more happy you're letting me be with you." She took a chance and kissed him on the cheek, "I really want to be with you, I'm not sure what the women of your past did to you, but I promise I won't hurt you. However, if you need more time before it becomes too serious, I understand, a lot has happened and I can wait."  
>He drank down his coffee, "I don't really understand, what do you mean by 'be with'?"<br>She turned to him, and kissed him, meeting little resistance, he slowly lowered her while putting his arms around her, but stopped almost immediately, "Wait, I'm so sorry. The 'old me' was coming out.."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"Anyway, we can't, we have a responsibility to our team to keep watch."  
>"Can't what? Oh! No, I didn't plan on..I'm a virgin, Nick.."<br>A single eyebrow went up, "Really now?"  
>He cleared his throat and looked away, a slight blush creeping up on his face,<br>"Um, all the more reason to wait!"  
>He hid his disappointment well, but she could tell he was kind of hoping she'd consent to him. She thought for a moment,<br>'Hell, I could die tomorrow..Might as well try something new..'  
>She sighed, then whispered something in his ear, and his blush became more apparent, but he smirked anyway, "Are you sure? I mean you just met me, I could-"<br>She shh'd him with her pointer finger and smiled, "You can still keep watch, and don't worry, I trust you.."  
>With that, Nick wrapped her arms around her neck, and lowered her into a kiss.<p>

Sophie was woken up by stray sunlight, and gasped. "Oh, no! I fell asleep!"  
>A voice came from behind her, "We both did, Soph.."<br>She turned and saw Nick lying beside her, his coat was folded in the corner next to her gray jacket, and his baby blue undershirt was unbuttoned, revealing his slightly hairy chest, her face flushed.  
>"Good morning, Nick." She kissed him on the cheek, he smiled at her, and embraced her.<br>"Good morning to you, too. You were pretty good, I was impressed."  
>"You sure didn't sound like it.."<br>He hugged her tighter, "I had to be quiet, you know how awkward it would be if someone woke up while you were..um..servicing me?"  
>When she said nothing, he lifted her chin, "I enjoyed it, sweetheart. Don't worry."<br>As they replaced their jackets, Rochelle walked in sleepily and headed for the coffee.  
>"Did you guys survive the night?"<br>"Yeah, we only saw a few infected, so it was an easy watch."  
>"Well, we all appreciate it, guys. I'll keep watch next time." Danny came into the room with Ellis close behind her, "Yeah, we got it next watch."<br>Sophie looked around, "Hey, where's Coach?"  
>"He's still asleep up top. He was too adorable to wake up, so I'm relying on the smell of coffee to do it for me."<br>Nick appeared uncomfortable, he stood up and opened the saferoom door,  
>"Hey, you can't go out there alone! Are you okay?"<br>"I just have to clear my head for a moment, I'll be right back."  
>He slammed the door as Coach was climbing down the ladder, "Morning, Rochelle, do I smell coffee?"<br>"Morning, Coach! Here you are dear." She handed him a cup and he kissed her on the cheek.  
>"I appreciate it, hey what's wrong with Nick, Soph?"<br>"Not sure, he just woke up then went out..I hope he'll be okay, he's unarmed.."  
>The door suddenly swung open, and everybody glanced at him, something seemed different.<br>"What? Is everyone ready, let's get inside the damn mall already!"  
>"Oh, um..okay.." The group grabbed their melee weapons, guns, and medkits, and Nick rushed out the already open door towards the mall. Ellis and Danny caught up to the orange haired New Yorker, "Hey, is everything okay, did you have a fight or something?"<br>She blew the head off an infected in her way, "No, I thought everything was okay last night..I wonder if it's my fault.."  
>Ellis pushed another into a wall, and shot it's leg off, "Nah, he's probably still adjusting to his new found feelings, after all he was the worst when it came to one night stands.."<br>"What? How do you know that?"  
>"Earlier yesterday, we told about ourselves, and he said his life was nothing but drinking, gambling, and using women, of course he said he was badly hurt by someone he really cared about, and that's when his whole life went downhill.."<br>"So that's what he meant when he said his "old self".."  
>They got really quiet, until Ellis asked a question, "Do you know what suck the heads means?"<br>Without thinking, Sophie blurted out, "Maybe that's what this is about!"  
>Danny's mouth dropped open, "You don't mean you..You did that and he's still being a dick to you? Oh, I'm pissed now.."<br>"No, really it's okay!"  
>"I'm not going to let you end up being just another one of his stress relievers, Soph!"<br>She turned to Ellis, "Do something!"  
>He grinned, "Go get 'em, baby girl!"<br>She gently grabbed her friend's arm, "Come on, like I said earlier, it's my fault. I was the one that suggested it, so I deserve this, I should have known he was going to act like nothing happened.."  
>"Oh, Sophie, you don't deserve this..It'll be okay.."<br>Nick heard this, and turned around, "What's wrong with her, is she okay?"  
>Danny's eyes narrowed, "She's fine in all the places you care about.."<br>He chuckled angrily, "What the hell's that supposed to mean!"  
>"You know damn well what I mean! You don't care about her at all, do you? The only reason you're worried about her is you want to make sure she's alright enough to suck your dick again, you evil, lying, manipulating snakebastard!"<br>Nick stopped in his tracks, "Excuse me, but what she and I do is our business, and I know I don't deserve her, she and I had this conversation already, Daniella, but I'm trying my damnest, and it seems to be enough for her. Sorry it's not for you."  
>"Dumbass, it's not enough! She's upset because of you! She's-"<br>Ellis cut her off, "Shh, what's that?"  
>The air was filled with the various shrieks of the infected, Rochelle sighed, "They know where we are, everyone inside the mall, hurry up!" She rushed ahead and opened the door for everyone, then closed it behind her.<br>Nick gently put an arm around Sophie, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
>She turned from him, "Nothing-"<br>He spun her around, "Don't give me that!" He shook her roughly, "Answer me! What am I doing wrong.."  
>She started to tear up, "Nothing! I just thought the reason you went outside had something to do with me, something I did.."<br>He stared at her for a moment, then he embraced her, "Oh, Soph, of course that's not true..I actually went out there to-"  
>Danny smirked, and decapitated two incoming infected, and shot a boomer who got too close for comfort, "Nick, is now the best time?" Her and Ellis laughed at this, Nick just growled.<br>"She's right, how are we getting out of here? I don't expect there to be any radios to contact the outside around.."  
>His eyes wondered for a moment, then he pointed to the center of the mall, where a car was on display.<br>"Look, we'll drive out of here!"  
>Ellis appeared excited, "Wow, that's Jimmy Gibbs Jr's stock car! He was my favorite racer of all time! Can I drive it, please?"<br>"Sure, why not? You'd get more of a kick out of it than any of us, However I'm assuming the tank's empty, so we have to find some gas before we can go anywhere. Let's split up in groups of two and each search a different floor, now I don't doubt there's hundreds of zombies around here, so if you find an ammo pile, try to let us know, we'll need it. If you find any gas cans, try to throw them as close to the car as possible-Hey, where's Sophie?"  
>"Excuse me, Ma'am? Do you need help? It's okay, you don't have to cry anymore.."<br>Nick went pale, and looked to his right, where Sophie was advancing on a wondering woman, "Soph, get away from the witch, she'll kill you!"  
>She heard angry growling from the woman, "Sorry." and shot her head off without another thought. Ellis laughed, "Damn, girl! Do you even feel fear?"<br>"Yes, I have certain phobias I'm not proud to admit, and except in those situations, I don't let it control me."  
>Nick found a grenade launcher and threw it to Ellis, "Okay, Soph and I will stay close to the car after we find our cans to fill it up as you're running back here."<br>Everyone nodded, "Yeah, good plan, Nick."

The group dispersed, Danny and Ellis decided on floor two, leaving Coach and Rochelle to the third. As Sophie and Nick found two gas cans near the fountain, each picking up one, Sophie smiled at him,  
>"Now's a good time, if you want to finish your earlier sentence.."<br>Nick poured his canister into the tank, "Alright. When I went outside, it had absolutely nothing to do with what happened last night, I just saw how everybody talked so positively about the one their with, how close they were..and I felt bad because all we've done is, well, you know..So I went outside to let a few tears out, and when Danny said all those things, I almost broke down again, plus I'm ashamed that I don't really feel comfortable saying the 'L' word yet because I'm still having..ahardtimetrustingyou, I'm sorry.."  
>Sophie poured hers in after he finished, "I understand, Ellis told me the rest of your story, and not just what women did to you, but also what you did to them, so commitment isn't going to come easily for you. I've already come to terms with that, but as I said, I'll wait forever if I have to.."<br>He sighed, "You know, you're pretty amazing, Sophie. Nobody's ever had the patience for me."  
>"Let's just say, I'm not everybody."<br>He grabbed her, "No, you're not, your perfect. I feel like the old me died with the rest of the world, and meeting you was the new beginning I needed.." They kissed until falling gas cans landed at their feet. Rochelle called happily, "Hey, you two, there will be plenty of make out time when we drive to New Orleans!"  
>"Right, sorry!" Nick and Sophie continued to fill up the tank, avoiding Smoker tongues and Spitter goo, when Danny suddenly came rushing down the stairs, Ellis further away from her than the group had ever seen. She turned to him, "Oh, there you are! Why did you run off? I was so worried about you."<br>"I'm sorry, baby. I saw a Hunter in the distance, and I didn't want you getting pounced."  
>"Really?"<br>"Better me than you."  
>She kissed him on the cheek, "You're so sweet, Ellie!"<br>Coach suddenly yelled, "Charger!"  
>The group noticed he was limping, and there was no way he could get out of the creature's way. Danny noticed Rochelle push him out of the way and get charged off the third floor! She unloaded a full clip, killing it, and dashed toward the unconscious Rochelle, just in time to catch her. Ellis cheered, "I love that woman!"<br>Coach was descending the stairs as quickly as he could, "Thank you so much, Daniella, I'm so grateful. I'll take her now."  
>"Sure, no problem, she's much lighter then my uncle Bucky, but what happened to you?"<br>"Jockey. I should have been paying more attention to her, though.. I hate these damn zombies!"  
>"Don't worry, when she wakes up, she'll have you by her side."<br>"Yeah. Thanks again...I'm going to set her in the car now."  
>Nick had just tried to put the ninth can of gas into the tank when it started to overflow, he quickly screwed the cap on tight, and opened the door, "Tank's full, let's go! Ellis, we need our driver!"<br>"Thanks, Nick!" Everybody filed in, with Danny in the passenger seat, and the others just barely fitting in the back. The keys were already in the ignition, so the car started rather quickly and easily, and the team sped off, busting through the glass doors of the mall, Coach holding Rochelle close to him, Ellis and Danny had their hands on the stick shift, and Sophie rested her head on Nick's chest. He sighed, "We're one step closer to freedom."  
>She glanced up at him, "Do you think CEDA's still evacuating?"<br>"Not sure, we just have to stay positive, wait and see."  
>Coach looked at him, "Wow, Nick. Your views sure have changed since we first started traveling together."<br>He looked down at Sophie, and smiled warmly, "Lots of things have.."  
>Danny was looking in the rear view mirror at them, she laughed quietly to herself and glanced at Ellis, "Happy you get to drive Jimmy's car?"<br>He tightened his grip on her hand for a moment, "Well sure! But even more happy I got a beautiful lady friend to sit next to me while I drive it."  
>"I love you, Ellis."<br>"Love you, too, baby. Plus if we hadn't found ya, I might be up here with Nick.."  
>The entire car erupted in laughter, even Nick chuckled, "Easy, Ellis."<br>"I was just kidding, any company's better than none."

The miles eventually took a toll on them, and they needed a safehouse for food and supplies. Early evening fell, and they were suddenly awakened by the squealing breaks and sudden force being applied to their bodies. Nick instinctively put an arm out to hold Sophie back, "What a wake up call! Everyone okay, what happened?"  
>"Sorry guys, but these parked cars go on for miles, we can't drive past them..guess we're walking again.."<br>Everyone piled out, including the now conscious Rochelle, and tried to think of a plan, Coach patted Ellis on the back. "Hey, sport, don't be upset, you got us a little bit closer."  
>He looked at an overpass sign, and sighed, disappointed. "We're still in Georgia, there's a sign for Whispering Oaks-" He suddenly got really excited, "Wait, oh hell yeah! Kiddyland!"<br>Danny giggled, "You had me worried for a moment there..so what exactly is that?"  
>"An amusement Park!"<br>Nick shifted his weight, "Oh..really? Are there clowns there?"  
>"Well acourse! Why?"<br>"Oh, I was just curious.."  
>Ellis laughed, "Sounds more like you're just scared to me.."<br>Danny turned to Nick, "Hey, you aren't, are ya? I was a carny, you know. I would feed the animals and make cotton candy and popcorn, but most of the time I would be a clown.."  
>"I'll bet you were the hottest clown there, baby."<br>Nick sighed, "Whatever. Let's just get to the damn park, maybe we'll see a safehouse on the way."  
>Ellis stopped, "Wait, before we have to fight anything. Danny," He started searching for something in his pocket, "When I ran from you in the mall, it really was to kill a Hunter, his sneaky ass died in a jewelry store, and I took awhile trying to decide which you'd like better.." He grabbed her hand, and showed her a diamond ring, "Will you marry me?"<br>Danny had her free hand over her mouth, and her eyes were watering, "Oh, Ellie! Acourse I will!"  
>As he slipped the ring on her finger, Sophie wiped a tear from her cheek.<br>"Oh, I'm so happy right now, Ellis.."  
>"I'm glad, so am I. Alright, we can proceed now!"<br>Rochelle was absolutely ecstatic, "Aw, congrats, guys! I'm so happy for you!"  
>"Yeah, that's so awesome! I knew you two were the perfect couple when I saw how similar you acted!"<br>Danny was admiring the rock on her hand, "Thank you, everyone but Nick..I also knew from the first time you two saw each other, you wanted to get you some of that.."  
>They both blushed as they started walking down the highway, ignoring her statement. Nick eyed Sophie, "You know I care about you, right?"<br>The question caught her off guard, "Yeah, I do, that kind of came out of nowhere.."  
>"Well, I don't want you think I'm just going to use you, like Daniella keeps suggesting.."<br>"Oh, she's just messing around, you get used to it after awhile. However there's something else bothering you, I can-"  
>He suddenly picked her up bridal style, and stopped before they walked in Spitter goo. Coach took aim and fired, "Kicked his ass!"<br>"Nice shot, baby!"  
>Nick stared into Sophie's eyes, "Watch where you're going, sweetheart.."<br>They leaned in to kiss, but Danny walked past them, "Come on, Romeo! Onward to the Amusement Park!"  
>He sat her down, "Is she always like this or is it just toward me?"<br>"That's just who she is, she can be serious when she has to. Now about the other thing you're hiding from me.."  
>Nick smashed a zombie's head in with his crowbar, "Oh, that..I was just wondering about Danny and Ellis, that whole scene, do you want-"<br>Sophie grabbed his hand, "That's their relationship, and that's how fast they want to go. We don't have to do anything you don't want to."  
>He pulled the ring off his pinky finger, a gold, square shaped one with diamonds on a four by four grid in the middle, and held up Sophie's left hand. He put it on her finger slowly, she looked up at him, "Oh, Nick.."<br>"Sorry it isn't traditional.."  
>"No, that's okay! It means so much more than that because it's probably something you had way before you knew me..Thank you so much.." She kissed him on the cheek, and all six of them turned the corner to the park. Ellis sighed, "Why am I not surprised! These damn zombies ruin everything!"<br>Whispering Oaks was filled with them lazing around, walking onto roller coaster tracks, and fighting each other.  
>"Sorry, Ellis. Maybe you can ride something next time.."<br>"HAHA, very funny, Nick.."  
>They continued on, killing the infected was second nature to them now. Nick froze when he heard squeaking behind him, "What the fuck was that?"<br>"It almost sounds like clown shoes." Sophie gasped, "Behind you!"  
>He turned just in time to see the red nose of the clown zombie as it fell to one side, as it's leg was swung off by Danny.<br>"I never thought I'd say it, but thank you so much, Daniella.."  
>She scoffed, "Yeah, whatever, I didn't want you to embarrass yourself in front of Soph. Plus I wouldn't want her to be upset if you were to get hurt."<br>Coach and Ellis were reading a flier on one of the buildings, they both looked quite excited.  
>"What is it guys?"<br>"The Midnight Riders were supposed to play here! Too bad their probably gone now.."  
>Nick glanced at the poster, "Well, they sure look..healthy. Wait a second-" He pointed to a section of the paper, "This says they have an award winning pyrotechnics show."<br>"Damn right they do! Loud music, lights, fireworks..Everything!"  
>Sophie smiled at that, "So if we start up the concert, anything around, like a helicopter looking for survivors, for example, would have to know something's up!"<br>"Exactly. Ellis, Coach, you guys are locals here, and seem to know this place well. Can you take us to the stage?"  
>"Yeah, sure we can."<br>Nick grabbed Sophie's hand, "Hope you like concerts, not exactly my idea of a perfect first date, but we don't really have a choice."

The team navigated through the park, commenting on the various food stands and rides while killing off the infected, until they saw the cotton candy stand, Coach cleared his throat, "Hey, Danny? Do you still remember how to make-"  
>"Really guys? Do we have time for that?"<br>"There's always time for Cotton Candy!"  
>She sighed, "Well, alright then I guess.."<br>Danny skillfully turn on the machine, poured in the crystals, and spun the white, cardboard cones into the mix, then she saw Ellis eyeballing the popcorn machine, and sighed. "Alright, who wants popcorn, too?" When the snacks were finished, she noticed Nick sitting at a nearby table, his left arm supporting his head with a horizontal hand over his mouth, deep in thought. She grabbed a bag and filled it to the brim, then she spun cotton candy and walked over to him, "Hey, I don't care if you eat or not, but I'm sure Sophie does, plus we all need strength. I know it's junk food, but it's all we've got." As she turned away, she heard a quiet "Thanks" from him, then they started walking again.  
>"There, that's the stage, and look at all the supplies."<br>"That means this could get rough!"  
>Rochelle grabbed some pain pills from the stands, "Yeah, no doubt the noise will draw a big crowd.."<br>"Well, we'll just have to make sure we're ready before we-"  
>"LIGHTS!"<br>"TAPEDECK HIT, LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!"  
>Sudden, loud music blared from the huge speakers onstage, and fireworks shot into the air.<br>"Dammit guys!"  
>They put their backs together and formed a tight circle, "Sorry, I thought you said you were ready.."<br>"It's fine, we'll manage. Here they come!"  
>The bleachers and stage were flooded with Zombies, sounds of multiple special infected could be heard.<br>"Look out now!" Ellis pushed back a Hunter mid-pounce and shot it before it could attack the reloading Sophie.  
>"Thanks, I owe ya!"<br>"No problem, that's what friends're for."  
>The ground began to shake, and Nick began to look for the Tank. When he spotted it, it was still a reasonable distance away, he pointed so the team could start shooting while he readied the molotav, finally the infected was close enough that he could throw it, the bottle broke on its head, after that, the creature only had a few more steps in it before it fell dead. The music went into an interlude and the infected ceased for the time being. The group used this time to heal and replenish their ammo from the nearby pile. "We've been here awhile, maybe this wasn't the best -"<br>"Guys, a chopper's landing!"  
>Sophie kissed Nick's lips briefly, "Good idea sweetie. You shouldn't doubt yourself so much, your ideas are brilliant." She gripped the pipe bomb and gently removed it from her pocket, then threw it. As the horde chased it, the survivors made a mad dash for the awaiting helicopter. Sophie and Danny were the first ones on, and they held their hands out to help their friends inside. When everyone was safely accounted for, Nick sighed, "That's all of us. Thank you so much, we really appreciate it."<br>The pilot smiled at them as they took off, "No problem, I'm happy to help anyone I can."  
>Rochelle passed the pain pills from before around, "That was a good plan, Sophie, using the pipe bomb at the end like that, and Nick, I'd hug you if I wasn't so exhausted!"<br>Coach chuckled, "Good job everyone! Hey, Ellis? Thank you man, for driving us all the way here.." When he got no reply, he turned his head and saw he and Danny were fast asleep against each other, slumped in the corner. "Goodnight guys. You earned it.."

Sophie was admiring the sunset when she had the sudden feeling she was being watched, she glanced over and met eyes with Nick.  
>"You were awesome out there, I'm lucky I have a woman who can take care of herself in these types of situations, however I can't help but feel left out.."<br>He patted the spot next to him, Sophie smiled and sat in his lap instead. "And why do you feel that way?"  
>"Well," He wrapped his arms around her, "I don't get to protect you, and to be honest, I feel pretty useless to you out there.." His head was resting on her chest, she leaned in and kissed his forehead, "Nonsense. I always need someone to watch my back, we all do. Nobody could do this all alone.."<br>Nick yawned, "That's true. I think everyone should try to get some sleep, nobody has to keep watch tonight."  
>Rochelle stretched out, "Yeah, unless the pilot somehow becomes a zombie overnight, we have a clear flight to New Orleans!"<p>

Nobody was hurt in the crash. The survivors surrounded the now dead helicopter pilot, whom Nick took the liberty of shooting, and Rochelle was crying, "I was just joking, I never thought- I jinxed us, I'm so sorry everyone!"  
>Coach comforted her, "You had no idea this would happen, none of us did. Nobody's to blame."<br>"Yeah," Nick fixed a crick in his neck and sighed, "He was probably bitten before he got us, I guess we're walking again. Any idea where we are?"  
>Sophie paced for a moment, then she snapped her fingers, "We must still be in Mississippi! We entered about half an hour before the pilot turned, we also appeared to have landed in one of their many swamps, which can easily go on for miles."<br>"Great..hopefully we're on the far side of it, because swamp water is disgusting!"  
>She sighed, "I should have brought the map from my office, I'm so stupid!"<br>"Don't beat yourself up about it, Soph. We'll get through this."  
>She smiled at Nick, "I know, it would just be so much easier. Oh well, I guess someone just pick a direction and we'll go from there, we have nothing better to do."<br>Ellis pointed, "Let's go left. I have a good feeling about it."  
>"Sure, why not?"<br>Danny squinted her eyes toward a pale brown mass in the distance, "Hey, what's that? It looks like a muddy infected.."  
>It came at them like a normal zombie at first, then it rushed at them on all fours. Sophie's shriek was extremely loud and piercing, Nick couldn't help but laugh, "Well, well! She does feel fear, Ellis!"<br>She was hiding behind him, "Don't laugh! It's one of my irrational fears I was telling you about earlier, I hate things that crawl like that..I've never been able to get over it.."  
>He held her close, "It's alright, dear, we're all scared. Now let's move on."<br>Danny knocked an infected's head off with her bat, Ellis laughed, "Home run, baby!"  
>The group continued through the swamp, until the ground abruptly dropped off, Danny stopped, "Oh HELL no! I hate swamp water!"<br>Nick agreed, "I'm with her on this one.."  
>Both Ellis and Sophie stared at them, "Guys, are you serious? Sure it's going to be gross, but if it'll get us closer to New Orleans, I have no problem getting my feet wet."<br>"She's right, you two, 'course I don't mind getting dirty, and I'd carry ya if it wasn't for, y'know, the zombies.."  
>Nick grabbed Sophie's outstretched hand, and they took the first few steps into the murky soup, "Thanks for the offer, Ellis, but I'll manage."<br>"Oh, Nick..Well I wasn't talkin' 'bout you.."  
>The group had a brief laugh, "I know, it's okay." He patted him on the back, and they slugged along, trying their best not to splash one another. Killing off zombies is so much harder with the swamp slowing them down, Nick had a huge headache, his suit was ruined, and it doesn't make it any better with Sophie screaming every time a Mud man came along.<br>"Sweetheart, could you please not do that! I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one appreciative, thanks."  
>She glared at him, "Oh, okay, let me just turn off my phobia switch, Nick! Because I can do that, right!"<br>"I'm just saying, it was cute at first, but now it's just annoying!"  
>"Oh, so now I'm annoying? Look, I can't help it, jerk!" In her frustration, she pushed him forward and quickly put a hand over her mouth when he lost his footing and fell face first into the water. "Oh! I am so sorry, Nick! I-"<br>He stood up quickly, and raised a hand to her, when she flinched, he dropped it and continued like nothing happened. She started to catch up to him, but stopped when he heard him say, "I don't know what I ever saw in you.."  
>She looked at the water below, her tears adding to the variety of the of the swamp, Rochelle and Danny both put a supporting hand on her shoulders.<br>"Hey, I'm sure he's just angry, we all know it was an accident. He didn't mean it."  
>Danny scoffed, "Personally, I like it this way, you deserve better than that, but you really seem to care about him, so I hope things go your way, Soph."<br>"Thanks, guys. Come on, we can't afford to waste time dwelling on stupid things like this."  
>"Are you gonna be okay, sweetie?"<br>She smiled, "Yeah, don't worry about me."  
>The tension eventually faded when Danny and Sophie started talking about life before the infection,<br>"Yeah, those were good times," She turned and gasped, "Look, a safehouse!"  
>Excitement and relief filled them as they splashed through the few remaining feet of swamp water into the room, where Nick was already taking his dress shoes off and rubbing his feet. Rochelle teased, "Were you not planning on telling us about this, Nicholas?"<br>Without looking up, he replied, "If you couldn't tell what is was, then you deserve to stay outside with them."  
>Everyone else quickly removed their shoes and tried to dry their feet. Sophie kept her distance from Nick, and hung out with the others for once.<br>"So, what's the plan? We walked for hours through the swamp, we have no idea where to go next-"  
>"The Plantation House.."<br>Rochelle turned to Sophie, who sounded almost like she was in a trance, "What, sweetie?"  
>She pointed to the wall, where several people had written notes to friends and family members. A few talked about a huge mansion on a dirt road they called the Plantation House. Sophie stretched, "Well, I'm all healed up, I think I'm going to-"<br>Coach grabbed her before she could get to the door, "Where do you think you're going? We're all exhausted, and I'm sure you are too. We're going to sleep here tonight and go to the House tomorrow."  
>She sighed, "But we don't know how much time we have left before they stop searching for survivors, I was just trying to...To help.."<br>He gently set her back on her feet as she was overwhelmed with tears. Nick glanced over, but didn't move.  
>"...I'm sorry, guys.."<br>"Don't worry about it, Soph. This takes alot out of everyone. I heard a few days ago they'll be searching for at least another week. We'll make it, it's going to be okay.."  
>She wiped her face, and took a deep breath, "You're right, I just need to relax," She looked up at Nick, who had already looked away. "I did some things today I wish I hadn't.."<br>At that, his head turned back toward her, but she was preoccupied with the ring he had given her earlier. She was loosening it, then tightening it again, until she stopped and held her hand closely under her chin, then she kissed it. Nick smiled to himself, but still said nothing. Coach suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, "Guess what I found," He took and unfolded a relatively new looking piece of paper from his back, "It was on the table next to the medkits." He handed it to her, and she jumped up to hug him, "Oh my- A map! Oh, Coach! This is awesome, it even marks where we are!"  
>He pointed to a spot on it, "And look, that house you were talking about is marked, too."<br>Sophie's eyes suddenly got really heavy, "That's good news, we'll go there first thing..tomorrow.."  
>She started to fall, Nick gasped and was there to catch her before she fell too far, and set her gently on the floor, "Is she okay!"<br>Danny glanced over, "Yeah, she faints when she overdoes it, happened all the time at work."  
>He gently brushed her cheek, "Goodnight, Sweetheart."<br>"So you're all of a sudden not pissed at her?"  
>"No, I'm furious! But she's still my girl, I want to protect her, and I didn't see any of you trying to grab her before she fell.."<br>"Well, what are you going to do, not be a dick while she's out, and then switch your dickishness back on?"  
>He chuckled, "No, Danny. I've gambled since the day I turned eighteen, but now, seventeen years later, I'm finished taking chances. I really am glad we found you guys, now one of my good friends is in love and engaged, he has the happiness he deserves."<br>Danny, for the first time since they met, smiled warmly at him, "Heh, well everyone deserves to be happy, Nick."  
>"Thanks, I appreciate it. Okay, you guys get some sleep, I'll keep watch."<br>"Again? No, you and Soph watched last time, it's someone's else's turn!"  
>"Guys, I insist."<br>Rochelle sighed, "Well, if you're okay with it.."  
>"Of course, I have to dry out my suit anyway."<br>Coach patted him on the back, "We appreciate it, man."  
>"I know. Now go dream about chocolate helicopters or whatever. You earned it."<br>He just smiled at him, "Goodnight, Nick."

It was still dark when Sophie woke up, she scratched her head, curious. 'When did I fall asleep?' She sleepily glanced around, the first thing she noticed was that Nick was nowhere to be seen. She stood up and quietly exited the saferoom with a rifle in her hands to search for him. Upon turning to her right, she spotted him sitting underneath a tree, and breathed a sigh of relief, 'At least he's still alive..'  
>Something moved in the distance, and Sophie looked through the sniper scope. 'Aw, hell, something's out there..' She tracked the shadow as it creeped up behind Nick, she shot the Smoker as soon as the tongue wrapped around his waist. He looked behind him, and saw Sophie cocking the weapon, he smiled and walked toward her, but she just went back inside, he stopped.<br>'Hm, I wonder what's up with her..She must still think I'm still mad about earlier..'  
>He reentered the safehouse, Sophie not even looking up from the map.<br>"Hey, thanks for saving me out there, I really-"  
>"No problem, but you should have been armed. In any case, we're a team," She looked into his emerald eyes, "Even if we don't like each other.."<br>Nick was confused, he felt a sudden, stinging pain in his heart, something he's never felt before. "What? Not like each other? Look, Soph, about before, I-"  
>"You don't have to say anything, Nick. I should have known you didn't want anything serious, I'm really okay with just being friends."<br>"Where is this coming from! I never said anything like that!" He slowly advanced toward her.  
>"Well, then, tell me what you want, because I have no idea, that comment you made under your breath really hurt me, right then I was ready to let you go, but dammit, I can't! Something keeps luring me back to you!"<br>He pulled her into a brief kiss, then held her tightly, "I was just angry, I didn't mean what I said, and lately I've been feeling things I can't really explain. I'm so sorry I ever made you hurt, Sophie!"  
>"Well, I'm glad everything's okay now.." Rochelle yawned, and started making coffee, Sophie put a hand over her mouth, "Oh, did we wake you?"<br>"Nah, I was already waking up..Are you two okay? I thought I heard a gunshot earlier.."  
>Danny and Ellis walked over, "Yeah, that's what woke us up.."<br>"Wow, sorry guys, I had to shoot a Smoker that was sneaking up on Nick. I apologize."  
>"It's okay, you were just being a good teammate."<br>Danny nodded, "Yeah. Let me just say, if I were you, I would've let him choke to death, especially after what he said."  
>Nick spun around to face her, "Look, I already apologized for that! Can we just drop it please?"<br>"Dude, you made her cry, she hasn't cried in 15 years.."  
>The group got really quiet, until Coach came stomping by, he rested his head on Rochelle's shoulder, "Good mornin, perfect. How did you sleep?"<br>She smiled and handed him a cup, "Very well, I had you to cuddle with so I was quite comfortable."  
>He chuckled and enveloped her, "I'm glad to hear that.."<br>As Sophie turned away to give them some privacy, her hand was loosely grabbed. She turned to the left and saw Nick on the verge of tears.  
>"I would completely understand if you want to break this off, after hurting you like I did..Hell, I don't deserve you, anyway."<br>She smiled, and before he knew it, they were kissing again, their arms unconsciously wrapped around each others waist. "I decide who deserves me, and I want you, Nick. You're all I'll ever need. Besides, we're only human, we're going to make mistakes. I forgive you, I always will."  
>He just hugged her, "I'm..so lucky.."<br>She enjoyed the moment a little longer, then gently pushed away, "If everyone's ready, I think we should head out. The earlier we get there, the sooner someone knows we exist."  
>"She's right, you guys need any more time?"<br>The others shook their heads, "Nope, just need to resupply and we'll be all set!"  
>"Oh my goodness," Sophie pointed behind Danny, where a pile of guns lay, "Is that..an Assault Rifle?" She walked over and picked it up, "Oh, hells yeah! I love this gun!"<br>"You like M16's, huh? I personally prefer shotguns over automatics, but to each their own."  
>She walked back towards him, "Well, you know what they say, 'opposites attract.' Now let's go kick some zombie ass!"<br>"Sounds like a plan!" Nick kicked the door open and the others followed behind him, shooting and killing the infected.  
>"Where's the house?"<br>After a few minutes of walking, Sophie pointed to a dirt road off the beaten path, "Let's try down there."  
>"Why not?"<p>

Not far down the road, a huge house came into view, "There it is! Wow, it's- Crawling with zombies!"  
>The team sighed as body parts and brains splattered onto them, the insides of humans becoming a common and sickeningly comfortable sight for them. Ellis pointed toward the right side of the house, "Let's climb this scaffolding guys!" One by one they went up the ladder, then they jumped through an open window to the top floor of the structure. Danny was in awe, "Oh my, I love this place! Can we get one just like it when we all move in together?"<br>Nick put a bullet in a Jockey and laughed, "I don't think so, Danny, we all probably have our own plans after we're saved. Coach and Rochelle probably want to live alone, and Sophie and I-"  
>"You can't decide what Sophie wants! Hey, we'll live together, right?"<br>She smiled at her best friend, "I don't think that's a good idea. Nick has a point, and I think you and Ellis would want a house to yourselves, too."  
>"Yeah, alright.."<br>They flew down the stairs and went out the already open door to the back yard, where a table with supplies was on display. Sophie ran past it to the gate, which was completely sealed off. She sighed a defeated sigh, then her eyes drifted to another, shorter table, where a communication radio was staring back at her. She held down the red button, "Hello? Is anybody out there?"  
>A reply came almost instantly, "Well hello there! It's been awful quiet for days, where are ya, I'll come pick you up!"<br>"We're at the Plantation House, I'm with 5 other people, thank you so much!"  
>"Sure, no problem! I'll be there in about 10 minutes!"<br>"We'll be ready!" She let go of the button and sighed relief as her friends cheered, "Awesome job, Sophie! You saved us again!"  
>"No, I was just doing what anyone else would do, I'm nothing special.."<br>"You are to me.." Nick raised her chin and kissed her until the shrieking started again.  
>"Sounds like they don't want us to leave.."<br>"Well they're going to be let down! Back to the table!"  
>Many more special infected were making themselves known, and zombies started teaming up on people.<br>"What the hell? Is it me, or are these things getting smarter?"  
>Sophie bit her lower lip, "The virus must be mutating! I have a feeling things will get much more difficult.."<br>After that was said, the ground began shaking more violently than ever before. "Is that a Tank?"  
>"No..It's two.."<br>They came charging together at the survivors from the house. The team dispersed again and moved back while shooting the best they could. One of them ran to Sophie, and punched her across the yard.  
>"Soph!" As it ran to finish her, Nick came from behind, and bashed its head in with his crowbar, "Oh God, are you alright?" He held out a hand and helped her to her feet.<br>"Yeah, has the man said anything else?"  
>He turned toward the radio, "Not sure, but the others need us, there's still a Tank around.."<br>They raced back to it, "Hello? Sir, you there?"  
>"The name's Virgil, and I'm actually glad you radioed back, my boats running low on fuel, so if you see any around you, could you bring it with ya? I'd appreciate it!"<br>"Sure, of course we can!"  
>Sophie ran back into the house, she remembered seeing two cans in the kitchen, she gave one to Nick, and held the other.<br>"Thanks. Alright, where would one store gasoline..?"  
>She snapped her fingers, "A shed! Let's go look!"<br>The others were curious, "What are you going to do with those?"  
>Nick answered as Sophie used her axe to break open the shed door, "Virgil, the guy on the radio asked us to bring it. Did you find any in there, sweetie?"<br>"Uh, yeah I did, about 10 cans!" She threw some out behind her, the others grabbed one each, Sophie picking two extras just in case. A loud foghorn suddenly pierced the air, and shortly after, more shouts of the zombies.  
>"If you're near the gate, MOVE!"<br>Seconds later, the barrier was blown off, and a large boat was in sight, the team rushed on board, and each person's heart swelled with relief.  
>"Thank you so much, Virgil! We brought you the gas."<br>He smiled, "Well thank you kindly, Ma'am! Now let's get y'all outta here!"  
>He turned the wheel, and the boat exited the pier, the team was once again on their way to New Orleans. Sophie, however, still clutched her gun tightly, Danny was concerned.<br>"Hey, what's wrong? You can relax now, Soph, We're going to make it!"  
>"How many times have we thought that, just to have our hope shattered? I don't want to let my guard down and I won't."<br>"You're gonna faint again if you're not careful. Besides, as far as we know, those things can't swim."  
>"She's right, sweetheart, that's why we're being evacuated to the Gulf of Mexico. You have nothing to worry about, I promise."<br>"Yeah, you know how well Nick keeps his promises."  
>Sophie had to laugh at that, and he gave her an offended look."I'm sorry dear," She lowered her weapons, "I couldn't help myself. I know you're changing for me, and I'm really happy."<br>"Nah, it's fine, I just don't want you to pass out again. You scared me more than the clowns did.."  
>She rubbed his back, "Aw, I feel bad now, I don't even remember it.." She removed his jacket and began kneading his shoulders, his eyes closed.<br>"Heh, Sophie's an ex- massage therapist, so she gets that reaction a lot."  
>"You're amazing at this..why did you stop doing it?"<br>She sighed, "The pay was good, but I would always get these customers that would request inappropriate sessions, so I quit and went into the office setting, only to have the harassment persist. So I admit, when I heard from Ellis who you really were, I had no intention of continuing our relationship, but as I said earlier," She gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek, "I can't stay away from you."  
>He smiled at her, "Same here, and I'm sorry about your past. I hope your future is better."<br>He turned to face her, she was blushing, "Because mine looks bright.."  
>The tender moment was short lasted as all eyes went to a nearby town they were floating by, a huge banner saying, "No Military, No CEDA" strung in the square. Nick chuckled, "They seem friendly."<br>Another group of signs pointing out the shortage of diesel made the Cajun burst into laughter, "Well, I'm sure glad you were able to find some for us!"  
>Sophie laughed too, "Yeah, no kidding.."<br>When the boat traveled further down through the town, a huge sugar mill came into view, and the survivors were in absolute shock at what they saw: Wandering Witches everywhere! Ellis whistled, "Wow, sure glad we ain't walkin' through there! I really appreciate the invention of the boat all of a sudden."

Hours went by, and the team took some time to reflect, "So Nick has this idea to cut through a building, where two ladies survived an apocalypse they didn't even know happened. Upon us meeting them, we realize we have some common interests, one thing leads to another, and now we're on a boat with them and 2 other best friends, who also happen to be together, going to New Orleans to join the rest of the surviving population. That about right?"  
>Rochelle nodded, "Yeah. more or less."<br>"This has been that best week of my life!"

Danny cuddled against him, "I'll say.."  
>Nick and Sophie were tangled together, with her in his lap and his arms around her, "Oh, yeah! Sophie, what were you and Danny doing in Georgia?"<br>"Promotion, then this happened..I agree with them, these have been some of the best days of my life.." She turned to face him, and they were kissing again, he pulled her down on top of him, and Coach shook his head, "Uh uh, you two. Save it for later, man you're in public, too.."  
>"I'd do more than just kiss her in public to show how much I care.."<br>Sophie just sighed, "Um, thanks, I think..?"  
>"Was that not 'romantic' enough for ya, Soph?" Danny said, giving Nick a disgusted look. It was only then that Nick fully realized what he just said.<br>"Now, Danny, he's doing a fine job. Be nice, for me?"  
>"Fine, but just as a side note for the future Nick, implying that you'd screw your girlfriend in front of a crowd probably isn't the best way to show you care about her."<br>Sophie cleared her throat and stood up, "I'll be back, I'm just going to..go over there.." She walked to the other side of the boat and stared at the nothingness that surrounded them.

Virgil had stopped to refuel using their cans about half an hour ago, and he mentioned they only had about 2 or 3 more hours left in the journey.  
>'I wonder who all survived..and who all didn't..'<br>Danny saw how upset Nick looked, and sighed loudly, "Don't worry. I doubt she's thinking anything bad about ya, she's probably just-" She stopped when she saw a single tear fall from the ex conman's cheek. "Aw, shoot..don't be doin what I think you're doin.."  
>He wiped it away, "I shouldn't have said that about her, especially after she just told me that's the only thing guys would talk about..and I used to be just like them, though I don't want to be anymore, not to her. It's a miracle she even talks to me, let alone-"<br>"Okay, you're starting to sound like a whiny teenager! We get it, you're going to do a 'complete change for the girl' type deal. Now go talk to her."  
>Without a word he stood up and started walking over to her, then he had a thought. 'Hold on..this is the second time I've hurt her..in a 24 hour period! I can't keep doing this to her..I won't..She doesn't deserve it..'<br>"Hey, if I offended you in any way, I apologize, I had no intention of-"  
>"Don't worry, you didn't. I just haven't had a chance to relax and look at nature, plus I was thinking. So," she wrapped her arms around his neck, "What's on your mind?"<br>His heart dropped, "Well, I, um..we had fun, but I've been thinking too, and I don't think I would be able to control my old self from returning to the surface if certain opportunities, like other women, presented themselves.."  
>She looked absolutely heartbroken, "But everything you told me, everything we did, you even gave me one of your rings! You can't just break up with me now!"<br>That got the others' attention, "What! Nick, what the hell did you do?"  
>"None of your business," He turned back to her and she lowered her arms, "Look, when you were going to sacrifice yourself for us over a Tank, I knew you were a good person because you didn't really know us. This infection has made everyone's emotions run high, and I made a mistake. Oh, and that ring was way too small for me, anyway."<br>She gasped as he turned away, "You mean..?"  
>"Yup, I even recycled all the lines I've used on other women on you just to get what I wanted. I'm a conman, baby, and a player never changes the game.."<br>She rushed past him and descended the stairs into the hatch of the boat. He yelled after her, "You also owe me a new suit! Don't think I'd forgotten!"  
>Danny suddenly pushed him up against a guardrail, and held him up by his collar, "Who the fuck do you think you are! You're doin one of two things; Lyin to her to somehow protect her, or you really meant everything you said. In which case, I'd throw you off this boat and tell Virgil to back up!"<br>Ellis came up from behind her, "Come on baby, let him go! I'm sure he has his reasons.." He sounded disappointed in him and Danny released her grip. "I knew you were no good for her!"  
>The two walked away and left Nick to sink to his knees and think. Coach came up to him a few minutes later, "How much of that was true? I know for a fact the last part was a lie, and the way you behaved around her was not an act. So what's going on?"<br>"The part about not being able to control myself is true, and it's because of that, that I started to think, if I hurt her again, especially like that..well, she doesn't deserve it. So it's better to let it all go now.."  
>Coach sighed slowly, and thought for a moment, "Look, young'un, you just have to trust yourself. Lying to her like that probably hurt her more than the words themselves. She's been nothing but understanding to you because she wants to make it work. I'm sure if you explain your intentions and apologize, she'll forgive you. She's really broken up right now, she thinks she was just another toy you used. Please...Prove her wrong..We all know you want to be with her, don't make her suffer anymore. You can change for her, I know you can because you've already started."<br>Nick took in the information and stood up, "Alright. I will take care of all of this when we arrive."  
>Coach smiled and patted his back, "Good boy. She's lucky to have you."<p>

A couple hours later, Rochelle squinted her eyes, and gasped, "Guys? I think we're here!"  
>At that, the others rushed to get a view, there was a pier in front of them, and beyond that, a huge bridge. Virgil stopped the boat in front of the dock and smiled at them, "Well, you made it, just head to the bridge. I'm going to go look for more survivors. Good luck now!"<br>Sophie appeared quite collected, she smiled and gave the Cajun a hug, "You too. We wouldn't be here without you, Virgil. Oh, we can't thank you enough!"  
>He nodded them off, then he pulled out of the harbor and was gone. The group started making their way to the bridge like they were told, nobody said anything to anyone until they heard the familiar sound of the infected. Sophie was surprised, "I thought this was a safe zone.."<br>Nick grabbed the crowbar from his back and readied it, "Well good, finally something to break the silence!"  
>Sophie watched him decapitate zombies and getting fresh blood on his suit over existing stains, and sighed, 'I can't believe we're through..It's not fair..'<br>Danny patted her shoulder, "Hey, now, don't worry. Everything will be just fine! We're this close to getting saved! You should be happy, Sophie!"  
>Hearing her name made Nick visibly flinch, he looked at the ground, then up at Coach, who nodded.<br>"Hey, Soph, I-"  
>"Look! We're going the right way, there's the bridge! Let's go!" She rushed ahead, Rochelle called out,<br>"Be careful, sweetie! Wait for us!"  
>She stood frozen at the beginning of the bridge, "Guys? Cars.."<br>When the team caught up, they saw even more blocking the road then on their way to Whispering Oaks. "Well, that's just great, how do we-"  
>"Hello? Yes we can hear you.."<br>Nick turned and saw Danny had a walkie talkie, she probably it took from the dead guy beside her.  
>"You made it! Virgil told us to expect you. Are you immune? Have you encountered the infected?"<br>"That's a positive on both, sir."  
>"Alright, cross the bridge, we'll have a chopper come pick you up. It's just flying back from a trip up north, we'll have it swing by the bridge."<br>"Well alrighty! Thank you so much, hun."  
>Sophie started to walk, "Well, you heard the man. Let's go!"<br>They avoided broken segments of the asphalt and went around, and sometimes over, the parked cars. Many more special infected attacked them, and in much bigger groups. At one point, a Charger was headed straight for Ellis, Danny saw this and ran at it with a shotgun, "Don't you touch my husband!" unloaded a clip on it, and it fell dead in front of him.  
>"I tell you how grateful I am to have you yet?"<br>She laughed, "All the time, babe."  
>"Nice shot, Danny, that was awesome!"<br>"Thanks! Oh, hey- LOOK OUT!"  
>Sophie almost ran face first into a lady Boomer, she pushed it off the bridge before it could vomit on her, "Wow, that was close!"<br>Nick walked beside her, but she ignored him, "Hey, I was wondering-"  
>"Please don't talk to me Nick, it only hurts more. I was stupid to think you would ever change your lifestyle for me..However, I meant what I said before, my feelings won't change and they go beyond just caring, I lo-"<br>"Guys, the chopper's landing! We're almost there! We- Oh, my God...TAAANKS! Three this time!"  
>Nick pushed them forward, "Go, go! I'll distract them!"<br>"But-"  
>"Hey, Orangey, you gonna talk or you gonna walk!"<br>She blushed, then turned to the chopper. They still had to go around a fence, and run to the platform  
>where it awaited them. The Tanks were gaining on Nick, who was shooting them while walking backwards. One of the creatures swung its fist and hit Nick in the opposite direction of the others, Sophie cried out, "We have to help him!" She looked at her supplies; Medkit, pain pills, and Boomer Bile. 'Ugh, why did I pick this up?' She ran to him, the Tanks were rushing toward him. Sophie unlatched the bile from her pants hook, and threw it on them. Almost instantly they were being attacked by the wave of infected that had been chasing them from the bridge. She noticed Nick was still on the ground, she grabbed his hand, it was losing warmth. Without a second thought, she began using her medkit on him. "You're going to be okay, sweetie, don't worry!" After she administered treatment, he looked up at her and gasped as she threw the empty kit aside, "Why did you..?"<br>She held his hand closer, "Because I love you."  
>He looked away, "I love you, t-"<br>She suddenly jerked him up by the hand she was holding, and started running with it, "No time! They won't be distracted much longer!"  
>Nick began running next to her, 'Wow, Sophie's stronger than she looks. I can't believe her, she's incredible...'<br>Rochelle and Coach were yelling at them not to look behind them or to slow down, they knew the Tanks must be right behind them. Finally, they could touch the chopper and their friends pulled them to safety for the last time, right as a Tank tried to punch Sophie's leg. The pilot took off, and they all hugged each other in a tight circle and let a few thankful tears fall. Nick's and Sophie's hands were still connected, she looked at him, "Now, what were you going to say?"  
>"Oh, right, but before that..I said all that stuff to you, yet you still risked your life for me..Thank you."<br>He leaned in, and kissed her. The others just smiled at their friends.  
>"I love you, Nick."<br>Without hesitation, he replied, "I love you too, Sophie."  
>He gave her a meaningful hug, "That's the first time I've ever said that to someone, and actually meant it."<br>"I'm glad it was to me, then.."  
>"OH! I thought I heard you, Sophitia dear!"<br>Sophie's face brightened, "Mom, you're alive!" She gently moved away from Nick, and rushed to her mother's side.  
>"Oh, my baby! I was so worried about you! When they did the pickup in Savannah and you didn't board, I feared the worst.."<br>"Yeah..We missed it, so we traveled here with the help of our friends, and the pilots and Virgil, who was probably the biggest help of all."  
>"Well, I was in Vegas doing a show when the infection broke out, so imagine singing your heart out for these people, and then have them suddenly try to attack you! Not fun..I do miss those slot machines, though.."<br>Sophie sighed, "Sorry that happened to you, Mom, but I'm glad you're okay!"  
>Nick lightly tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey, is that why you have so much patience and understanding for me?"<br>"Basically, yes."  
>He looked at Sophie's mother a bit longer, and had a sudden realization, "Wait a minute, I know you! You're that woman I could never beat at Poker in that casino down in Phoenix! I've been dying for a rematch with you!"<br>She glanced over, "Why, if it isn't little Nicky boy! You were quite the playboy last time we met, have you settled down since then?"  
>"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." He glanced over at Sophie, who smiled.<br>Her mother smirked, "Really? Well, I'll accept your rematch, but let's make it interesting.."  
>In unison, both opponents pulled out a hidden deck of cards, Sophie facepalmed. Nick replaced his deck in his jacket pocket, "Interesting, how?"<br>"If you win, I'll return all the money you lost to me in Phoenix, with a little interest."  
>Sophie cleared her throat, "Nick, you don't have to-"<br>"Okay, and if I lose?"  
>"Nick!"<br>She smiled, "I won't let you date Sophitia."  
>"You're serious?"<br>She nodded, "Is it a deal?"  
>He slowly turned toward Sophie with puppy dog eyes, she sighed.<br>"Okay, but you have to promise me you'll have fun with it."  
>"I love you so much, Sophie! Alright Madame, you're going down!"<br>She laughed to herself, 'He's like a kid when it comes to Poker..'  
>She decided to let them be and look for Danny, who was on the opposite side talking to Ellis and two other men she was unfamiliar with.<br>"Hey, sorry to interrupt you guys, but my Mom's playing Poker with my man, so-"  
>"Is that what their calling it now!" The group laughed.<br>"Sorry, Soph! He was just kiddin, that's my Uncle Bucky, remember I was tellin' you about him?"  
>"How could I forget?" She shook his hand, "It's nice to finally meet you, sir."<br>"Likewise, Ma'am."  
>Ellis tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey, this is my buddy Keith I always talk about, he actually wrestled gators-"<br>"Gators? Reminds me of the time Uncle Bucky.."  
>Several trade offs of stories proceeded for awhile, but Sophie didn't seem to mind, she was laughing right along, until she heard a familiar voice, "What! You must have cheated! There's no way-"<br>"A bet's a bet, Nicky boy! Sorry, but since you played so well, I guess I'll at least tell you my real name. It's Jessica."  
>Sophie walked up behind Nick and kissed his cheek, "How'd it go, sweetheart?"<br>"Um, do you really wanna know?"  
>"Oh, dear.."<br>Nick pretended to be upset, "Yep, guess that means I can't date you anymore.." He knelt in front of her, she gasped, "So I'll just have to marry you instead."  
>Apparently this caused a scene, because as soon as she accepted, the entire chopper erupted in applause. After a long kiss, he turned to Jessica, "You didn't say I couldn't do that."<br>She shrugged her shoulders, "Leave it to a conman to find flaws in a bet.."  
>"An ex conman..I'm not risking anything anymore, not when I have so much to lose now.."<br>"Oh, Nick..I never knew I could be this happy!"  
>"You and me both."<br>Danny walked up to them,"Well, it's about damn time, Nick! Now you two aren't allowed to fight, or lie to each other anymore, because we all know how it's going to end up, so don't put yourself through any unnecessary drama, okay?"  
>"Words of wisdom, Danny. Thanks"<br>"What can I say? I was incomplete, and she had the missing piece to the puzzle I a-"  
>"No, NO! We are NOT going there, Nick! Just no!"<br>He laughed, "Alright, fair enough. Hey, anybody see Rochelle or Coach around?"  
>"Their over there."<br>Coach appeared nervous as he talked to an older couple which everyone assumed to be Rochelle's parents, and she was talking to an elderly woman that was probably Coach's mom. Sophie suddenly got really upset, 'Everyone had someone survive but Nick...He's probably been alone a really long time..'  
>As if he could read her mind, he put an arm around her, "Hey, don't worry about me, Sophie! I'm completely okay. Besides, I've got some of the best friends anybody could ask for, my biggest Poker rival as my mother in law, and of course, I have you..."<br>She smiled as they once again kissed each other, "And you always will."

END


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